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"Physics isn't a religion. If it were, we'd have a much easier time raising money." That's what Leon Lederman, who won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1988, reportedly said.

One might discern from his comment that Lederman never helped raise funds for a church. That's true especially to day—when churches all over America are dealing with the maddening effects of a cultural and theological move away from stewardship.

Giving in the Church
At a time when consumer demand for church amenities, programs, and fancy gizmos continues to rise, the giving base to support all that has been dropping since 1956. Across the country, building projects are straining church budgets, mission programs are being cancelled, and staff pay raises are tabled for future consideration. Until stewardship is reestablished as a fundamental element of Christian theology and life, these negative trends will only continue.

Some churches don't appear to have money problems. Their buildings multiply over night, their numerous staff people are well-compensated, and their shiny vans adorned with the church logo are visible all over town.

This sort of prosperity can be misleading. It illustrates two assumptions about church finances:

1. If a church has money problems, it must be financially dysfunctional.

2. If a church has plenty of money, it's not financially dysfunctional.

Both of those assumptions are myths. In reality, from a stewardship perspective, many, if not most, churches that appear prosperous are no different than the poorest churches. In the typical church today, 25 percent of the congregation gives 90 percent of the weekly offering. Within that group, the top 5 percent gives 50 percent of the church's income, and the remaining 20 percent gives the other 40 percent.

That means a whopping 70 percent of the typical congregation contributes only 5 percent of the incoming dollars. In simple terms, nearly three-quarters of American church attenders drop about a buck a week in the offering plate.

Viewed from a pure business perspective, these numbers might give rise to a simple but hopeful challenge: By persuading the bottom group of contributors to give only half of what the next higher group (the 20 percent of the top givers) gives, one can double a church's revenue base.

Viewed from a spiritual perspective, however, these numbers indicate that the great majority of people who worship on Sundays are missing out on the most important elements of spiritual surrender, reliance on God, and genuine worship.

Why People Don't Give
There was a time when sacrificial giving was a cornerstone of the Christian life, even during the Great Depression and other times of widespread financial distress. Yet today, when employment is at an all-time high and our nation is experiencing unprecedented prosperity, the average churchgoer only gives about 2 percent of his or her income to the church.

Several key cultural and economic factors account for this decline in giving. Some of them:

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